A human life is just like a drop of rain, tagged by names, from the sky. As it passes through the lower sky, dropped on the ground and permeates through the permeablesubsurface, it collects, disposes and accumulates with it all the purities and impurities that come on it's way. It requires no small amount of heat and filtration to separate it from these impurities before it evaporates it's way back to the sky. The cycle is of Condensation and Evaporation. That which finally make it to the upper sky has shed off all it has accumulated - tje purities and the impurities. In the process, many also fall back before they reach the upper skies.And so are humankind. The cycle is of Life & Death.

Al-Quran 10:24; Verily, the likeness of worldly life is as the water which We send down from the sky; so by it arises the intermingled produce of the earth of which man and cattle eat: until when the earth is clad in it’s adornments and is beautified, and it’s people think that they have the powers of disposal over it, Our Command reaches it by night or by and We make it like a clean-mown harvest, as if it had not flourished yesterday! Thus We do explain the Ayat in detail for the people who reflect.

There is so much in this sura that it is difficult to take it all in at once - if even possible. I would like to offer some perpective to join to your excellent scientific analogy:

As the phenomenon of rain is from the sky, so is life flowing down into the physical world from the divine. Rain intermingles with the produce of the Earth and enters our bodies and those of other living things. So too does life from the divine. When we are born that life enters a baby and makes it to live physically. Then as the child grow the life mingles with the experiences of the child to become a greater spiritual force in this world. That life permeates the child and if allowed to flourish serves to remove all the evil tendencies and crass perspectives that are common to unenlightened mankind resulting in a mature source of divine inspiration and an exemplary life free of those said evils. And when others become convinced that they are free to exploit such a divinely inspired and good life to their own ends, that life is takenn back to the divine alone and that life is gone from this world forever -- time passing so that it as if that life had never existed. In this way we relate the divine purpose in the way of life and death to those whose life is in the divine - that we all may value and respect life from where it comes and not despise or fear death when it comes.

buninspace,That's cool - only come out from a polished reflection. Keep on polishing and definitely the Mirror of Truth will emerge. When that moment comes, life and death means NOTHING. They are just a definition.Al-Quran 6:32 And the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement. But far better is the house in the hereafter for those who are Al-Muttaqun. Will you then not understand?

note: Al-Muttaqun = the pious.

You said>>>In this way we relate the divine purpose in the way of life and death to those whose life is in the divine - that we all may value and respect life from where it comes and not despise or fear death when it comes.<<<Yes, we must relate our individual life of the present and give it a measurement of its salvation, to that divine life in the Hereafter. But Herebefore time and Hereafter time doesn't exist, in it's absolute term. It is human self-declared time. That is the illusion - an illusion within illusion. That divine life is there as it is here. Here with respect one's own SELF, and there with respect to their individual SELF. What is behind that Cosmic Mirror of Truth shall always be there. Cycle of Life and Death are only the going-on in front of it. And so are the Heavens and Hells. Love is looking at a person in his/her existence behind that Cosmic Mirror of Truth.That is where the true feeling of ONENESS exist. I guess life is no longer a valid word. Our best shot is perhaps REALITY or TRUTH. Divine Life may not be be fitting words. A better one I guess PERMANENT BLISS - no more Life and Death.The drop returns to it's source. In the source there is no existence of forms. NOTHING is there.

So much for now. May be I can polish what I put down better - next time.I am off to my orchard.

Assalamualaikum/Peace to all,Still on water, yes water of energy, water of life, a drop af water in the ocean of seas and rains. From sura At-Tariq (the night comer, the bright star) are the following verses.When we are on a night sleep it is said that the soul leaves the body. Actually there is no soul leavingor coming; Only a connection is being made - to the realm of superconsciousness of soul potential. So the nightcomer is just a human expression of the day that was. The bright star is just an expression of who we really are - a spark of the Divine.

86:1 By the heaven, and At-Tariq (the night comer, the bright star)86:2 And what will make you to know what At-Tariq is?86:3 The star of piercing brightness86:4 There is no human being but has a protector over him/her.86:5 So let man see from what he/she is created!86:6 He/she is created from a water gushing forth86:7 Proceeding from between the back bone and the ribs86:8 Verily, is able to bring him/her back to life86:9 The Day when all the secrets will be examined86:10 Then he/she will have no power, nor any helper86:11 By the sky which gives rain, again and again86:12 And the earth which splits

All the above verses were revealed when there were a lot of opposition to the idea of Day of Judgement and resurrection. What the verses say man (generic) must analyse his/her own constitution and identify which of his/her aspect is created, and which is non-created. 86: 1 – 4 is a confirmation of the presence of soul within/without him/her . 86:6 – 7 tells us what is man is created from. Water gushing forth between the back bone and the ribs is just symbolic to mean a form of energy (MEST) in dynamic motion (vibration). The source of this MEST energy is the spiritual (soul) energy. The transformation of this soul energy to MEST energy is seamless but the realizable MEST energy spectrum sets around the backbone, between it’s physical periphery and the ribs. It is so close that upon the word “BE” there is no difficulty for Almighty Allah to beef up the soul with created stuff of human forms. If water means energy, rain, in a different form, means life. So 86:11 cannot be wrongfully read as “By the sky which gives life, again and again” to give it an earthly tone (analogy).

Almighty Allah indeed gives us life, again and again. Each life is a trial and tribulation itself. At the end of each life we'll be told of what we do and the subsequent dispensation is according to that. It follows on forwardly (positively) until the Final Return (entering Paradise).

Just for those with clear mind. There is no Divine punishment for thinking. Punishment is for wrong doings.

Assalamualaikum/Peace for all,Another sura for a consumption and digestion. The Big Star telling the Small Star. The Big cosmos telling the Small cosmos. The Master telling the Slaves.

Al-Buruj (The Big Star “Buruj”)

85:12 Verily, the Seizure of your Lord is severe and painful85:13 Verily, He it is Who begins and repeats85:14 And He is Oft-forgiving, full of love

Seizure is taken to mean punishment. It is severe and painful in it’s immediate term. In the long term it is Oft-forgiving. “repeats” in 85:13 suggest a series of punishment and Days of Judgement. Almighty Allah’s full love can only be realised at the end of it all. Severity and painfulness is just a human description of the experience of their body and mind senses. Almighty Allah doesn't actually punish. But He determines in which environment the nafs (Self) will incarnate whereby human forms of punishments and/or spiritual conditioning is of such order to bring an improvement over the cumulative past lives. Only this way the nafs (Self) will move forward to the Final Return. There is no such thing as reincarnation into sub-human form form the spirit of these verse:

[COLOR=blue]18:44 There Al-Walayah will be for Allah, the true God. He is the Best for reward and the Best for the final end.64:3 He has created the heavens and the earth with truth, and He sshapes you and make good shapes. And to Him is the Final Return.

Al-Inshiqaq (The Splitting Asunder)84: 6 O man! Verily, you are returning towards your Lord with your deeds and actions, a sure returning, and you will meet.

Well, the verse seems obvious. However it doesn’t say what type of return. Ordinary return or Final Return. Return for judgement evaluation is not the same as Final Return which is to be considered as a success when the Self is permanently 100% purified. What the above verse doesn’t say but confirms is death or at the end of the expired term, which is a sure thing and a sure returning towards your Lord. This is the “how?”. In this context it is not the Final Return. Just a meeting. Any idea of the concept of barzah, the realm or interspace where a soul is lying in a waiting state pending one big day when everyone is assembled for that big Day of Judgement, one moment in an infinite time to come is an aberration. There is another verse somewhere that says “Allah is ever so swift in His disposition”. And what happens in the barzah immediate upon death? The subsequent verse follows:

84: 7 Then as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand,84: 8 He surely will receive an easy reckoning,84: 9 And will return to his family in joy!

There you are! After the meeting with the Lord and receiving favourable judgement reckoning it says “And will return to his family in joy”. Certainly it doesn’t say Final Return to the Lord(Almighty Allah). So what is the verse trying to say? What is obvious is it is so specific as what it literally says. And one should ask who is returning? – the Body, the Mind (consciousness), Or the Soul (Superconsciousness potential) of the just expired SELF? I must say here that we have to remember that the Al-Quran was revealed specifically for mankind as well as the jinnkind. So it is not for the plant and animal kind nor the angelkind. In this context the word death is seldom used in the Al-Quran. Expired term is the most often used term. One should be able to recognize this distinguishing factor. This will provide us an additional dimension and somewhat complexify our understanding of verse 84:9. and the WHOLE PROCESS to the Final Return.The word family means a lot of things and for each the verse is equally valid - human world (close family, tribe, race, nation, faith) and jinn world (all the 7 heavens).

I have to go slow. Insha Allah I’ll continue with 84:10 and so on.It is not my intention force any issue on any body. It is just to illustrate an approach in interpreting the Al-Quran. It is just that I have chosen a difficult and controversial topic especially Muslims all over the world. For those with the capacity and openness they may find certain clues to explain many supernatural, paranormal and perhaps psychological phenomena. As an old wiseperson said “in consciousness, a newly born baby is perfect”.

One common concept of the Life in the Hereafter (among Muslims), is that after the expired term of this (one) life, the SELF will enter the realm of barzah, the interspace between forms and the source of All Forms and will remain there until that one fine moment of that one fine day called the Day of Judgement when, as someone had it postulated, something called Hell and Heaven will be created for appropriate disposition of all individual SELF. It is said that everyone will be raised on that day, all the bones, flesh and skins will be reassembled and resurrected to face the Judgement. Obviously these were based on the surface interpretation of other verses of the Al-Quran such as follows:Chapter 74 – Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection)74: 01 I swear by the Day of Resurrection74: 02 And I swear by the self-reproaching person74: 03 Does man think that We shall not assemble his bones?74: 04 Yes. We are able to put together in perfect order the tips of his fingers.These verses and all other subsequent verses of the chapter are a riddle. Two words are obviously different and distinct in the above verse. – self-reproaching person and man. One must question him/herself. Who or what is being judged on that Day of Judgement – the man or the SELF (personality)? The context of the whole sura is about those man (human) who solely do not believe in the soul (potential) that have been blown into them. These are the non-believers who 74: 05 Nay! Man desires to continue committing sins74: 20 Not, but you (man) love the present life of this world74: 21 And neglect the Hereafter.22: 66 It is He, Who gave you life, and then will cause you to die, and again will give you life. Verily man is indeed an ingrate. (Chapter 22 – Al-Hajj)They [(who rebelled and opposed the message of the late Prophet (pbuh)] were in argument against the belief in life of the Hereafter and the Day of Resurrection and questioned against an ignorant question about Allah’s ability to create man (human) the body.To these people their belief is (at the base level) SELF = BODY with little of the MIND (spiritual) factor. But little do they know what the following verse Chapter 76 – Al-Insan (human) or Ad-Dhar (time) which says :76: 01 Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was not a thing worth mentioning?Is telling is that to the SELF that has evolved, if not experience but, at the least knowledge wise, with respect to it’s own SOUL, the BODY is nothing. It is just going into and getting out of the loo. Not worth mentioning.In understanding Life and Death, one must grasp the idea of the basic constitution of the individual man (human). The verse that says each of us is a caliph implies each of us is more than the BODY that many have over amplified it’s functioning reality.An evolved believer will recognise that very constitution of the SELF, which can be put simplySELF = BODY + MIND(spirit) + SOUL (potential)Almighty Allah’s firman says “I am closer to you than your jugular vein” and that is represented by the SOUL (potential) term in the basic constitution of man (human) outlined above When one dies, only the body dies. That which goes to the realm of barzah, which is the SELF, is now the MIND (spirit) and the SOUL (potential) . This is the consciousness principle (which at bodily cerebral level is referred to as memory). Recognising these constituents would, I suppose, lead to a different meaning and interpretation of the subsequent part of the sura (Al-Qiyamah) associated with the Day of Resurrection, viewed by many people Muslims or non-Muslims as that day of Armageddon? When this earth and it’s mountain will crumble……an so on and on. Leave that for the time being.Continued…………

84:10 But whosoever is given his record behind his back,84:11 He will invoke destruction,84:12 And he shall enter a blazing Fire, and be made to taste its burning.

What and where is the blazing fire? If we refer to

Chapter 76 – Al-Insan (human) or Ad-Dhar (time)

76: 02 Verily we have created man (human) from nutfah of mixed semen, in order to try him/her: so We made him/her hearer and seer.76: 03 Verily, We showed him/her the way, whether he/she be grateful or ungrateful.76: 04 Verily, We have prepared the disbelievers iron chains, iron collars, and a blazing Fire.

And verily, the verses were targeted at those disbelievers to whom their SELF = BODY only which is the language they understood very well. The blazing fire were associated with iron collars and iron chains, which were symbolic of punishment method of the mediaeval ages for the human kind. This implies that the blazing Fire is of a figurative meaning that reflects a man (human) world of existence.If the Al-Quran was to be revealed in the present age, the word choice could have been electrocution or gas chambers. And back to

chapter 84 – sura Al-Inshiqaq (splitting asunder)

84:13 Verily, he was among his people in joy!84:14 Verily, he thought he would never come back!84:15 Yes! Verily, his Lord has been ever beholding him!

The disbelievers, as mentioned above, enjoy committing sins, love the present life of this world and neglect about the life Hereafter, have always believe that they would never comeback to this world when he/she dies and that Almighty Allah will behold them in the barzah after they die until the Day of Judgement, an infinite years to come. That is not the case. Almighty Allah is ever so swift in making judgement and retribution. Nothing remain static in this earthly time.

84:16 So I swear by the after glow of sunset;84:17 And by the night and whatever it gathers in darkness,84:18 And by the moon when it is at the full,84:19 You shall certainly travel from stage to stage

One must interpret this together with a deeper understanding of the Pr. Muhammad (pbuh) experience of Ascension and a description of it in the respective Hadith. Stage to Stage also imply maqam to maqam, or, station to station. Also reflect upon the rituals on the performance of the Hajj. Circumambulation around the Black Solid Ka’abah signifies earthly cycles of earthly existence. Running up and down the two hils of Safa and Marwah signifies cycles in the spiritual existence (in the heavens) and Wukuf at Arafah – standing still in silence as do the Angels at the door of the Paradise for the Final Returninto the realm (Kingdom) of Almighty Allah – the Source of all Sources of Forms.Globally the progression is

74: 06 He asks: “When will be this Day of Resurrections?”74: 07 So, when the sight shall be dazed.74: 08 And the moon will be eclipsed.74: 09 And the sun and moon will be joined together.74: 10 On that Day man will say : “Where to flee?”74: 11 No! there is no refuge!7f: 12 Unto your Lord will be the place of rest that Day.

All of the above verses were just Prophetic expression not to be taken literally in it’s intentional meaning. The consequence of that it had led to a plentiful of speculation and unnecessary prophecies by the doomsday scholars. Expressed figuratively/symbolically the above verses were just a description of the experience of a man (human) at the Moment of Death. In a different manner the similar verses were repeated later in the sura:

74: 22 Some faces that Day shall be nadirah.74: 23 Looking at their Lord.74: 24 And some faces, that Day, will be basirah,74: 25 Thinking that some calamity is about to fall on them.74: 26 Nay, when reaches to the collar bone,74: 27 And it will be said: “Who can cure him?”74: 28 And he will conclude that it was of parting.74: 29 And one leg will be joined with another leg.74: 31 The drive will be, on that Day, to your Lord.

There are nothing unique in both groups of verses of the sura. It is just an expression common to anyone experiencing death. The same expression fits very well to the same bodily and mind sensation a sufi disciple (saliq) or a murshid is experiencing when he/she finds herself the moment to get connected to the higher level of his/her spiritual consciousness.The difference between the two types of experiencers is that – the situation of the former type is that the experiencer is not knowing what to expect - physically and mentally. In the latter it is the opposite. By specialized training a sufi disciple (saliq) or a murshid has been accustomed to that certain knowledge. So when the late Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said “If you want to know Allah, know your own SELF. If you want to know your own SELF then be dead - before the term expires”. That certain knowledge is the know how accomplish that. It is a training for perfection as does the regular salat. The principle behind this “phenomena” is not the case of a “soul leaving the body” but rather a matter of getting an individual’s SOUL (potential) connected to the utmost and absolute Almighty Allah’s own Super-consciousness. The SOUL (RUH) must not be perceived as one discrete immutable matter that can leave or enter the COARSE PHYSICAL BODY. The closest description of it that a human mind can perceive is as exactly as what is termed, in other parts of the Al-Quran – The Rope of Allah. It is that connecting line or conduit of Pure, Divine Consciousness Energy installed at the first breath of birth, sealed and concealed within the temporal complex of man (human) being to be undone/broken and self-discovered consciously. “Hold on to the Rope of Allah” means just that – hold on to that line. At the moment of death when the seal is to be permanently broken, that Pure, Divine Consciousness Energy will have to restore Itself and find its way into that line/conduit to get disconnected permanently from the temporal coarse body of a human.

74: 09 And the sun and moon will be joined together74: 29 And one leg will be joined with another leg.

These two verses were just a symbolic expression of what one may experience at the moment of a physical death,And death as said, is, putting it simply, just an ordained separation of a spiritual entity from an acquired physical entity which itself has it’s own Divine Law of Existence of the Divine Created Universe.

Interpreted as such, the above Chapter 74 – Sura Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection) is just a statements describing about a human death experience. It is not about the end of the whole world or universe is going into an upheaval of a disorderly transformation many seem to imagine- the Doomsday? The Armageddon?

Yaumul Qiyamah, is just the Day of Death. It is therefore inappropriate to interpret it as one exclusive and unique Day . It is just the same Day as labelled in the Al-Quran with more than 29 ways e.g. Yaumul Akhir (Last Day), Yaumul Thalaq (Day of Mutual Meeting), Yaumud Din (Day of Recompense), Yaumul Hasrah (Day of Grief and Regrets).These are all about description of scenarios at a moment of death.

74: 06 He asks: “When will be this Day of Resurrections?”74: 07 So, when the sight shall be dazed.74: 08 And the moon will be eclipsed.74: 09 And the sun and moon will be joined together.74: 10 On that Day man will say : “Where to flee?”74: 11 No! there is no refuge!7f: 12 Unto your Lord will be the place of rest that Day.

All of the above verses were just Prophetic expression not to be taken literally in it’s intentional meaning. The consequence of that it had led to a plentiful of speculation and unnecessary prophecies by the doomsday scholars. Expressed figuratively/symbolically the above verses were just a description of the experience of a man (human) at the Moment of Death. In a different manner the similar verses were repeated later in the sura:

74: 22 Some faces that Day shall be nadirah.74: 23 Looking at their Lord.74: 24 And some faces, that Day, will be basirah,74: 25 Thinking that some calamity is about to fall on them.74: 26 Nay, when reaches to the collar bone,74: 27 And it will be said: “Who can cure him?”74: 28 And he will conclude that it was of parting.74: 29 And one leg will be joined with another leg.74: 31 The drive will be, on that Day, to your Lord.

There are nothing unique in both groups of verses of the sura. It is just an expression common to anyone experiencing death. The same expression fits very well to the same bodily and mind sensation a sufi disciple (saliq) or a murshid is experiencing when he/she finds herself the moment to get connected to the higher level of his/her spiritual consciousness.The difference between the two types of experiencers is that – the situation of the former type is that the experiencer is not knowing what to expect - physically and mentally. In the latter it is the opposite. By specialized training a sufi disciple (saliq) or a murshid has been accustomed to that certain knowledge. So when the late Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said “If you want to know Allah, know your own SELF. If you want to know your own SELF then be dead - before the term expires”. That certain knowledge is the know how accomplish that. It is a training for perfection as does the regular salat. The principle behind this “phenomena” is not the case of a “soul leaving the body” but rather a matter of getting an individual’s SOUL (potential) connected to the utmost and absolute Almighty Allah’s own Super-consciousness. The SOUL (RUH) must not be perceived as one discrete immutable matter that can leave or enter the COARSE PHYSICAL BODY. The closest description of it that a human mind can perceive is as exactly as what is termed, in other parts of the Al-Quran – The Rope of Allah. It is that connecting line or conduit of Pure, Divine Consciousness Energy installed at the first breath of birth, sealed and concealed within the temporal complex of man (human) being to be undone/broken and self-discovered consciously. “Hold on to the Rope of Allah” means just that – hold on to that line. At the moment of death when the seal is to be permanently broken, that Pure, Divine Consciousness Energy will have to restore Itself and find its way into that line/conduit to get disconnected permanently from the temporal coarse body of a human.

74: 09 And the sun and moon will be joined together74: 29 And one leg will be joined with another leg.

These two verses were just a symbolic expression of what one may experience at the moment of a physical death,And death as said, is, putting it simply, just an ordained separation of a spiritual entity from an acquired physical entity which itself has it’s own Divine Law of Existence of the Divine Created Universe.

Interpreted as such, the aboveChapter 74 – Sura Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection) is just a statements describing about a human death experience. It is not about the end of the whole world or universe is going into an upheaval of a disorderly transformation many seem to imagine- the Doomsday? The Armageddon?

Yaumul Qiyamah, is just the Day of Death. It is therefore inappropriate to interpret it as one exclusive and unique Day . It is just the same Day as labelled in the Al-Quran with more than 29 ways e.g. Yaumul Akhir (Last Day), Yaumul Thalaq (Day of Mutual Meeting), Yaumud Din (Day of Recompense), Yaumul Hasrah (Day of Grief and Regrets).These are all about description of scenarios at a moment of death.

Interpreting the title of the sura, in English, as Day of Resurrection, is an aberration. I am wandering if it was Christianic in it's origin. It doesn't make a simple normal sense with the context of the whole sura. An invention?